Chapter 26: The Taurus Gold Cloth
To say Lin Beiya wasn't nervous would be a lie. But after more than a year of rigorous cultivation, he had absolute confidence in his progress.
The moment the pale violet soul ring touched the Athena Statue Martial Soul, a surge of violent energy exploded through his entire body like a raging storm.
"Ugh—!"
Caught off guard, Lin Beiya couldn't help but let out a low groan of pain as his muscles convulsed from the sudden influx of power.
Yet within moments, he forcibly steadied his mind, gritting his teeth and enduring it head-on.
Agony.
It felt as though every cell in his body screamed in protest, every nerve aflame.
The energy rampaged wildly through his meridians, threatening to tear its way out at any moment.
But under the regenerative effects of the Aries Gold Cloth, his body rapidly healed and stabilized, preventing the energy from breaching its limits.
Veins bulged across his forehead as he clenched his jaw so tightly it creaked, his expression twisted in sheer determination.
Blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth.
Not far away, Demon Suppressing Douluo—normally calm and unflappable—found himself growing tense. He knew this was the most critical stage. Yet all he could do was silently will Lin Beiya to hold on.
"Honestly… this kid could've taken the safe path and still become someone remarkable. Why risk his life for this?"
He sighed under his breath, but Lin Beiya couldn't hear him.
At that moment, the pain within Lin Beiya's body began to fade, replaced by a spreading warmth that filled every limb.
His breathing steadied, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
He had made it through the most dangerous phase. In other words, he had successfully absorbed a thousand-year soul ring.
Demon Suppressing Douluo exhaled in relief. The hardest part was over; now, all that remained was patience.
"Hah… what a miraculous brat."
Several hours later, the violet soul ring finally solidified around the statue of Athena.
At that same instant, Lin Beiya opened his eyes.
"You really did it, kid! Let's see what your new soul skill looks like."
Before Demon Suppressing Douluo could even finish speaking, Lin Beiya nodded slightly and released his martial soul once again.
Two soul rings rose at his feet—one yellow, one purple—shining with dazzling brilliance.
As the purple ring lit up, a deep, thunderous snort echoed through the forest—the sound of a mighty bull.
A column of golden light burst from the ground, connecting heaven and earth.
Within the light, the translucent outline of a Golden-Armored Bull materialized before them.
Having seen the manifestation of the Aries Gold Cloth before, Demon Suppressing Douluo wasn't surprised—but he did feel a hint of curiosity.
"Another set of armor? Huh. Isn't one enough? Won't their effects overlap?"
Lin Beiya didn't respond. He simply extended his hand, summoning the Taurus Gold Cloth.
The golden bull dissolved into light, scattering in midair before converging around him. Piece by piece, gleaming armor plates locked into place, covering his body from head to toe.
This Gold Cloth was modeled after a wild bull—its design heavy, imposing, and full of raw, unrestrained power. Two sharp bull horns curved upward from the helmet and shoulders, exuding a fierce, dominating aura.
Where the Aries Cloth radiated elegance and grace, the Taurus Cloth embodied brute strength and violent beauty.
Lin Beiya could feel the immense power surging through him. To his amazement, the Taurus Gold Cloth increased all his attributes by twenty percent— and with his second soul ring, even the Aries Gold Cloth's enhancements had risen to twenty percent as well.
That meant with every additional soul ring, his Gold Cloths would gain another ten percent boost— a terrifying scaling potential.
"So? Any new battle techniques this time?"
Demon Suppressing Douluo's eyes gleamed with curiosity. He was already familiar with Lin Beiya's previous skills—Crystal Wall and Starlight Extinction—and couldn't wait to see what kind of ability this new armor would bring.
As Lin Beiya nodded, Elder Demon Suppressing Douluo's interest was instantly piqued.
"Oh? Let's see what you can do—show me."
Lin Beiya didn't refuse. Crossing his arms into an Iaijutsu stance, a massive phantom of a wild bull manifested behind him.
With a brilliant flash of golden light, the enormous golden bull roared to life and charged forward, its razor-sharp horns aimed straight at Demon Suppressing.
"The Great Horn!"
"Moo—!"
Demon Suppressing Douluo's eyes narrowed. Though this strike lacked the true power to threaten a Super Douluo like himself, the sheer pressure radiating from it made his heart tremble slightly. After all, the boy before him had just broken through to the rank of Soul Grandmaster.
As the Coiling Dragon Staff in Demon Suppressing Douluo's hands blocked the golden bull's furious charge, Lin Beiya showed no sign of disappointment. Instead, he simply waited quietly for the elder's verdict.
Moments later, the golden bull's light faded.
Demon Suppressing Douluo withdrew his staff, casting a deep glance at the ground beneath his feet—where his own footprints were now clearly visible.
"Not bad at all," Demon Suppressing Douluo said, nodding slightly.
"At a glance, I'd say your attack power already reaches that of a Soul Ancestor-level attack-type soul master."
Lin Beiya nodded, satisfied.
"Yes, that's about right."
As the one who unleashed the strike, he knew his own limits best; Demon Suppressing Douluo's assessment matched his expectations perfectly.
After a moment's thought, Demon Suppressing Douluo asked again,
"Any other soul skills?"
"Yes," Lin Beiya replied. "Just like the Aries Gold Cloth, the Taurus Gold Cloth also grants me one offensive and one defensive ability for now."
The words for now caught Demon Suppressing Douluo slightly off guard.
His instincts told him that this martial soul's potential was far from fully revealed.
But since Lin Beiya didn't elaborate, Demon Suppressing Douluo didn't press further.
"In that case," Demon Suppressing Douluo said with a faint smile, "let's test the defensive one."
Without further warning, he summoned his Coiling Dragon Staff and hurled it toward Lin Beiya.
It looked like a casual toss, but the staff—an artifact-level weapon comparable to the Clear Sky Hammer—was monstrously heavy. The mere weight of it was enough to crush an ordinary Soul Master.
Lin Beiya's expression grew tense.
Crossing his arms before him, he focused his soul power to meet the descending weapon.
"Iai Barrier!" {T/N: I didn't find such a technique in the Taurus Saints skill collection}
There was nothing flashy about this move—just an unbelievably fast series of punches that generated a shield of compressed air before him. To the untrained eye, it seemed as if attacks simply slid off his body without ever making contact.
But Demon Suppressing Douluo, a seasoned Douluo, immediately saw the brilliance behind the technique. For someone at only the Soul Grandmaster level to exhibit such terrifying speed—this youth was truly a monster.
As expected, when the several-thousand-jin Coiling Dragon Staff met the Iai Barrier, its momentum was abruptly nullified. The staff lost all power and clattered heavily to the ground, carving a deep pit into the earth.
A dull boom echoed through the forest.
Demon Suppressing Douluo smiled.
"Excellent. That soul skill is a perfect counter to close-range combatants."
The Aries Cloth's Crystal Wall could block long-range energy attacks, and now the Taurus Cloth's Iai Barrier handled melee assaults. Lin Beiya's defense had improved by leaps and bounds.
After absorbing the thousand-year soul ring, Lin Beiya's cultivation had reached rank 22—already nearing rank 23.
That progress alone filled him with satisfaction. The gap between him and Qian Renxue was shrinking bit by bit.
"You really are a freak," Demon Suppressing Douluo muttered.
"Your body actually withstood the impact of a thousand-year soul ring."
Lin Beiya chuckled softly. It was time to reveal the secret behind his physique—especially since he'd soon need Spirit Hall's help to acquire more of that special material. After all, traveling to the ocean himself wasn't exactly practical.
"Senior," Lin Beiya said, "aside from daily training, my physical strength mainly comes from whale rubber."
"Whale rubber?" Demon Suppressing Douluo's eyes widened in disbelief. For a moment, he thought he'd misheard. But Lin Beiya's serious gaze told him otherwise.
"Wait… isn't that stuff used to—uh—enhance romance? What does that have to do with building physical strength?"
"Er…" Lin Beiya coughed lightly.
"When taken raw, yes, it has that effect. But when properly refined and its medicinal essence absorbed, it can gradually fortify the body."
—
End of Chapter